A team of scientists led by Christoph Schaefer from the University of Trier, Germany, concluded that Cleopatra died not from a snake bite, but from a deadly cocktail containing opium and hemlock, reports the Daily Telegraph.
It is known that the Egyptian queen died in 30 BC. Until now, it was believed that the cause of her death was the bite of a viper, now called the Egyptian cobra. However, scientists have found evidence that snake venom was not the true cause of Cleopatra's death. “Queen Cleopatra was known for her beauty and was unlikely to subject herself to a long and disfiguring death.<…>Cleopatra wanted to remain beautiful in death in order to preserve her image. She probably took a cocktail of opium, hemlock and aconite. In those days, this mixture was known to cause painless death within a few hours, in contrast to a snake bite, which could last for days and cause excruciating pain,” explained Christoph Schaeffer. For the research, he specially traveled with other scientists to Alexandria, Egypt, where he tested his theory against ancient medical texts and consulted with local serpentologists.
The legendary queen, who came from the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty, ruled Egypt from 51 to 30 BC. She went down in history not only as a famous beauty (without actually being one), but also as a firm politician who for a long time did not allow Rome to take over Egypt. It is known that Julius Caesar was going to marry her, but death prevented this intention. Mark Antony, one of Caesar's political successors, entered into a relationship with Cleopatra. Their union ended after the defeat of the Egyptian fleet at Actium and the accession of Octavian Augustus. Immediately after the battle, Antony committed suicide, and then Cleopatra followed his example.
Currently, excavations are underway in the suburbs of Alexandria in the hope of finding the burial place of Cleopatra. The assumption that the ashes of the queen and Mark Anthony are located there was made after examining the Taposiris Magna temple using radar. This temple, which completed the construction of Alexandria, is located in its western suburb of Abu Sir, near Lake Mariut.
Taposiris Magna, erected in honor of Osiris and Isis, concealed 27 burials. In them, archaeologists discovered ten mummies of high-ranking persons, two of them were covered with gold. Hawass and Martinez suggest that the bodies of Cleopatra and Mark Antony may be nearby. "The ancient Greek historian Plutarch claimed that the queen and her husband were buried together," says Kathleen Martinez, an Egyptologist from the Dominican Republic who led the expedition.
Everyone knows about Cleopatra, the legendary Egyptian, fatal temptress of her time, who played a prominent role in world history and in the history of world drama. Well, that is, it’s not that they “know”, but they heard it anyway. As well as the dramatic story of her last love and tragic death. As you know, in our time it has become fashionable to debunk myths, and in recent years they have been persistently trying to debunk the story of the death of Cleopatra. But first you need to figure out if there is anything to debunk...
Classic version, thanks to Plutarch
The generally accepted version of the death of the Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII, who lived and ruled in the 1st century BC, became the original narrative of the ancient Greek writer and historian Plutarch, picked up and embellished by later creators, including Shakespeare. So, according to this version, Cleopatra’s last amorous passion was the Roman commander and political activist Mark Antony, a former comrade-in-arms of Caesar, who aspired to power in Rome. A distant relative of Caesar, Octavian, stood in his way, in alliance with whom Mark Antony had previously defeated common enemies, the killers of Caesar. In 30 BC, the combined military forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra were defeated by the troops and fleet of Octavian, who captured Egypt.
The lovers decided at all costs not to fall into the hands of the enemy and Mark Antony committed suicide after hearing the false news that Cleopatra had already committed suicide. The queen herself had to wait to carry out her plan: according to the most common version, she still hoped with her feminine charms to convince Octavian to maintain independence for Egypt, and for her the Egyptian throne. But she soon realized that she would not succeed and that she would face shameful imprisonment and being sent to Rome. Some time after this, Cleopatra and her two maids were found dead in the room. According to rumors, two tiny wounds were found on the queen’s hand, as if from a bite. From this they concluded that Cleopatra committed suicide by allowing herself to be bitten by a poisonous snake. The snake itself was not found in the room, but they decided that it could have crawled away.
Is it really another sensation?
Recently, two reports appeared in the media, each of which allegedly carried some new sensational information shedding light on the circumstances of Cleopatra's death. First of all, this is the conclusion of German scientists that the snake was not at all involved in the death of the Egyptian queen. Several arguments have been put forward against the “snake version”. Firstly, the snake itself was never discovered, although the room, judging by the memories, was quite airtight. Secondly, it is doubtful that one poisonous snake could kill three adults at once in a short time - since two maids also died along with Cleopatra. Thirdly, there are no reports of any bites on the bodies of the maids. Fourthly, the Egyptian kings of Hellenistic Egypt were very knowledgeable in poisons, so it is doubtful that Cleopatra chose death from snake venom - very painful, lasting several hours and also leaving unsightly marks on the body and face.
Scientists suggested that Cleopatra used poison and even suggested a specific option that was well known at the Egyptian royal court - a mixture of opium and aconite and hemlock plants. So, has the sensation and true cause of Cleopatra’s death really been discovered? Not at all. The fact is that even ancient authors, the same Plutarch, drew attention to the fact that the true cause of Cleopatra’s death is unknown. Among other things, a version was expressed that the queen passed away with the help of some effective and painless poison. And they even offered options for exactly how the poison was taken - from a hiding place in a hairpin or even on a hair comb. So there is no sensation in the assumption of German scientists that Cleopatra went to the next world not with the help of a snake, but with the help of poison, there is only an argument in favor of one of the versions that existed from the very moment of the queen’s death.
No motive for murder
The second contender for a sensation in the “case of Cleopatra’s death” is criminology specialist from the United States Pat Brown, who expressed what she considered a reasonable assumption that Cleopatra did not take her own life, but was killed. Brown does not provide any specific evidence in favor of this, she did not have any new historical evidence, she simply decided to follow the well-known principle of criminological inquiry - “who benefits?” And the death of Cleopatra, according to Brown, was beneficial only to Octavian, the future Roman emperor Augustus, who thereby got rid of the queen of Egypt and included this country in his possessions. So he ordered the death of Cleopatra, presenting the matter as a suicide.
Everything would be fine in Pat Brown's version if this version were based not on speculation and assumptions, but on knowledge of historical facts. And evidence suggests that Octavian was extremely interested in Cleopatra living - at least until she arrived in Rome. Octavian had already virtually captured Egypt and enlisted the support of the local nobility, who were more profitable to prosper within the powerful Roman Empire than to try to maintain their position in a turbulent independent Egypt. By that time, Octavian had already executed the illegitimate son of Caesar and Cleopatra, Caesarion, who, due to his origin, could pose a real danger to the power of the future Augustus in Rome.
Sources indicate that Octavian really wanted Cleopatra to become part of his triumph - that is, a solemn procession through the streets of Rome, in which his trophies as a commander would be demonstrated, and the main one - the captive famous queen of Egypt. After the triumph, Octavian could do whatever he wanted with her, but until then he needed her. All sources, without exception, say that Octavian ordered all measures to be taken so that Cleopatra could not commit suicide, and when her body was discovered, he tried in every possible way to bring her back to life - so, special people were used who knew how to suck out snake venom from wounds. Therefore, Brown’s sensational version that Cleopatra was killed is not based on anything - there was no one to kill her, the main suspect was more interested in her life and health than anyone else.
Alexander Babitsky
The legendary beauty of the ancient world, Queen Cleopatra, still excites the imagination. What is behind the death of the most beautiful woman of all time - murder or suicide?
The Death of Cleopatra - a historical mystery
The famous seductress, fatal beauty, who was familiar with both cold calculation and the ardor of sincere feelings, Cleopatra, has always aroused great interest among historians and cultural figures. She became the heroine of hundreds of fiction, anthologies telling about the love adventures of famous women, films and serious historical research. It is reliably known about the love affair of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, about the political intrigues of Cleopatra, but how exactly the life of the great Egyptian queen ended is unknown, despite the presence of the “official version”, the death of Cleopatra remains a mystery.
The Death of Cleopatra: The Struggle for Power
Cleopatra was a friend of the Romans, as Caesar claimed, and the result of the close friendship of the two rulers was the birth of a son, Caesarion, but after the death of Caesar, two relatives of the emperor began to struggle for power, the great-nephew Octavian Augustus and Mark Antony, who stood somewhat further on the ladder of kinship than Octavian. It didn’t take long for the contenders for power to come to an agreement, but Octavian longed for sole rule.
Mark Antony’s relationship with Cleopatra came in very handy; Octavian declared her a harlot with hands stained with blood, made an accusatory speech against Antony before the Senate and declared real war on Cleopatra. Octavian's troops marched on Egypt, and then everything happened very quickly, the defeat of the combined troops of Antony and Cleopatra, the suicide of Mark Antony and the death of Cleopatra herself.
Death of Cleopatra: versions
There is no historical information about the death of Cleopatra left by her contemporaries. The main sources telling about this tragic event are considered to be the works of the ancient Greek historians Plutarch and Dio Cassius, which appeared a century after the events described. The works of these historians contain very contradictory information about the death of the Egyptian Queen, Plutarch writes about suicide with the help of the bite of a poisonous asp snake, and Cassius mentions some kind of jug. Despite the fact that both pundits agree that Cleopatra committed suicide, at the same time there is a hint that Cleopatra was poisoned.
Death of Cleopatra: Snakebite
Cleopatra was kept in custody by order of Octavian. Hopes that Egypt would remain independent and Caesarion would become the legitimate emperor became more and more elusive. That day, a basket of fruits containing a poisonous snake is secretly delivered to the queen. Cleopatra writes a suicide letter and asks to give it to Octavian. The guard was absent for a few minutes, but upon his return he finds the dead Cleopatra and her two maids, who were fighting in their death throes. Two small marks on the queen's hand suggested that Cleopatra committed suicide by simply allowing herself to be bitten by a snake. No snake was found in or near the queen’s chambers.
Death of Cleopatra: poison
Some historians believe that Cleopatra, who showed manic concern for her beauty, would hardly want to look unattractive after her death. The Egyptian queen understood perfectly well that a snake bite causes agony, suffocation and painful death and would hardly have done such a thing. If suicide did take place, Cleopatra's death could have occurred as a result of poisoning. A lethal dose of poison hidden in a comb or ring “as a last resort” was the most common thing at that time.
According to one version, Cleopatra took poison hidden in a hollow hair comb, and it was a mixture of hemlock, opium and aconite. This hypothesis also does not look particularly convincing, since a comb or any other decoration would not contain enough poison to kill three healthy women. The question, as they say, remains open, although the version with snakes and poison looks quite romantic and still inspires writers and artists.
Death of Cleopatra: murder?
There were no reasons for Cleopatra’s natural death, she was completely healthy, the version of suicide does not look very convincing, what then remains? Murder? Scientists do not discount this version, since the living Cleopatra, known for her determination and desire for power, could prevent Octavian Augustus from fully enjoying his power. And Cleopatra’s demands to recognize Caesarion as the legal heir also did not bode well. No matter how strong a political figure Cleopatra was, historians at that time do not see anyone to whom this woman could “annoy” so much, except Octavian. And here the question arises again? How did you kill? Poisoned? Where then did the wounds on Cleopatra’s hand come from? The investigation, as they say, has reached a dead end.
Death of Cleopatra: speculation
The idea that Cleopatra died a violent death and that the “customer” of the murder was none other than Octavian came to the mind of Pat Brown (apparently, the surname Brown is somehow strangely connected with revelations and sensations), a well-known female criminologist from the USA. The version, unlike the others, but theoretically possible, actually has no historical evidence, and Brown, expressing such an opinion, relied solely on her own conclusions. Also in favor of the version of a contract killing, some historians cite the fact that Cleopatra never gave up, and in the Ptolemaic family there were anyone, intriguers, murderers, participants in incest, but there were never suicides.
Death of Cleopatra: the role of Octavian
There is historical evidence that Octavian did not need Cleopatra's death. Having dealt with Mark Antony, Octavian saw Cleopatra as his main trophy. They said that he wanted to lead her chained through the city, celebrating his Egyptian triumph, but the parliamentarians sent to Cleopatra with Octavian’s conditions did not talk about anything like that, but promised her the emperor’s merciful attitude and even the opportunity to consider the rights of her heirs.
Octavian's triumph would not have been complete without Cleopatra's participation in it; after that, anything could have happened, but until that moment she had to remain alive. Having learned about the death of Cleopatra, Octavian tried to do everything to make her heart beat again. They tried to suck out the poison from the wounds, tried other means known at that time, but everything was in vain.
The Death of Cleopatra: The Tomb
The death of Cleopatra is as ambiguous as the Egyptian ruler herself was multifaceted. In her homeland, she was known as the living embodiment of a goddess, for the Greeks - a liberator, for the Romans - a libertine, but at the same time a brilliant politician, scientist and loving mother.
The tomb of Cleopatra is another mystery associated with the name of the Egyptian queen. Where it is is still not known with certainty, but a recent discovery by Greek scientists off the coast of Alexandria suggests that the tomb of Cleopatra and her lover Mark Antony is located in a complex system of underground tunnels under the temple of Taposiris Magna. During the excavations, an alabaster mask of Mark Antony and coins with the image of Cleopatra were found; scientists really hope that the excavations will help them get closer to solving the mystery of Cleopatra’s death.
chuchotezvous.ru
CLEOPATRA VII of Egypt (69-30 BC) - queen of Egypt. She reigned from 51 BC. While still very young, in the struggle with Ptolemy XIV for the throne of Egypt, Cleopatra resorted to the help of Gaius Julius Caesar, whose mistress she became. After the death of Caesar, when a power struggle broke out in Rome between the triumvirs Antony and Octavian, Cleopatra became first the mistress and then the wife of Antony.
After being defeated by Octavian's troops, Antony committed suicide by throwing himself on his sword. Meanwhile, Cleopatra locked herself in the mausoleum with two maids. When Anthony was bleeding, he, on the orders of Cleopatra, was brought to her mausoleum and, with the help of ropes, was dragged inside through the windows of the second floor (the first floor was barricaded). The failed emperor died in the arms of Cleopatra.
Octavian wanted to leave Cleopatra alive so that she could be paraded around Rome in a humiliated state - chained and tied to a chariot - during the solemn celebrations of victory (triumph). The parliamentarians sent by him, of course, hid this, but promised the queen that if she abdicated the throne, Octavian would act mercifully with her. Cleopatra declared that she would abdicate only on the condition that her son from Caesar, Caesarion, be the king of Egypt. Octavian did not agree to this; he intended to make Egypt his fiefdom. Cleopatra threatened that if she refused, she would commit suicide. In turn, Octavian threatened that he would kill Cleopatra's children - Ptolemy and Cleopatra Selene, who were captured by his soldiers. The negotiations were long and difficult.
Octavian, seeking Cleopatra's official abdication, tried to seduce her by stipulating the rights of the heirs (with the exception of Caesarion's rights to the throne). To quell Cleopatra's suspicions, Octavian arranged a magnificent funeral for Antony and allowed Cleopatra to participate in it. After the funeral, the queen returned to the mausoleum. Several times a day she decided to commit suicide, but the thought of children being hostages stopped her.
Throughout August 30, Cleopatra suffered from fever, heat and mental anguish. On August 28, Octavian himself visited her. “When he entered,” writes Plutarch, “she jumped up from the bed and, as she was, in light clothes, threw herself at his feet. Her hair was disheveled, her face was distorted, and there were dark circles under her eyes. Scars from the ritual scourging during Anthony’s funeral, and her appearance reflected the state of her soul. But, in spite of everything, the charm and provocative beauty of her youth did not leave her, and she glowed with charm.”
During the conversation, Octavian assured the queen of his benevolence and left with the confidence that he had almost convinced her to renounce all rights.
Meanwhile, one of the Roman officers assigned to oversee the mausoleum, Cornelius Dolabella, fell in love with Cleopatra. He revealed Octavian’s secret plans to her, saying that he considered the queen to have recovered from her illness and was going to transport her to Rome with her children in a few days. But he will kill Caesarion in any case so that he cannot lay claim to the throne. And then Cleopatra finally decided to die.
She asked Octavian for permission to visit Antony's grave, and then, returning to the mausoleum, took a bath. The maids rubbed her with incense, combed her hair, and dressed her. It's time for lunch. A peasant with a basket appeared near the door of the mausoleum and told the Roman guards that he had brought fresh figs for the queen. One of the guards took him to the queen's room.
Seeing a peasant with a basket, Cleopatra loudly exclaimed:
- Oh, here she is!
The guards escorted the peasant out, and Cleopatra put her hand into the basket, where there was a poisonous snake brought at her request (obviously a cobra). The bite was fatal.
After a short time, a maid came out to the guards and asked them to take a papyrus with a message from the queen to the palace for Octavian. The papyrus was carried away. After reading it, Octavia became furious. It was written there: “I want to be buried in the same grave with Anthony.”
When Roman officers burst into the mausoleum, they saw the dead Cleopatra with the Ptolemaic crown on her head. Two tiny wounds from a snake bite were found on her hand. Octavian tried to save the queen by sending her psylli - members of a North African tribe who were considered healers of snake bites: the Romans believed that their body contained poison that was fatal to snakes, and, accordingly, an antidote to bites. The psylli were supposed to suck the poison from Cleopatra. But, of course, this didn't help.
Frustrated, Octavian executed Caesarion and Antony's son from his marriage to Fulvia. True, he left the children born to Cleopatra from Anthony alive.
But he still dragged the queen herself behind the chariot for 50 years of triumph - but only in the form of a golden statue.
The last queen of Egypt from the Ptolemaic dynasty could hardly have died from a snake bite, says a researcher from the Manchester Museum.
Queen Cleopatra VII Philopatra, famous mainly for her beauty and dramatic love story for the Roman commander Mark Antony, could not die from a snake bite. So says Andrew Gray, head of the herpetology department at the Manchester Museum (herpetology is a branch of zoology that studies amphibians and reptiles).
The version that Cleopatra died from a snake bite is given by Plutarch. According to him, Cleopatra, who survived the capture of Alexandria, did not want to become the main trophy at the triumph of Emperor Octavian in Rome. The queen was carefully guarded so that she could not commit suicide. But according to one version, a snake was carried into her chambers.
Plutarch says: “A peasant appeared at the door with a basket. The guards asked what he was carrying. Opening the basket and parting the leaves, he revealed a pot full of ripe figs. The soldiers were amazed at how large and beautiful they were, and the peasant, smiling, offered them a taste. Then they let him through, casting aside all suspicions.”
A snake was allegedly hidden in the basket. “They say that the asp was brought along with the figs, hidden under the berries and leaves, so that it would sting the queen unexpectedly,” she herself ordered. But, having taken out some of the berries, Cleopatra noticed the snake and said: “So that’s where it was...” - she exposed her hand and exposed it to the bite. Others report that the snake was kept in a closed water vessel and Cleopatra lured and teased it for a long time with a golden spindle until it crawled out and bit into her arm above the elbow. However, no one knows the truth,” says Plutarch. Two of the queen's maids died in the same way.
He notes that information about Cleopatra's death is contradictory. Someone claimed to have seen a snake track under the windows, someone talked about bite marks on the queen’s hand. Others wrote that “not a single spot appeared on the body, and no signs of poisoning were found at all,” and Cleopatra hid the poison in a hollow headpin, which was constantly in her hair (Plutarch, Antony. 84-86. Translation by S. P. Markisha).
Andrew Gray expresses doubts that the snake could actually be hidden in a basket or water container. The venomous Egyptian snakes - cobras and vipers - are too big to go unnoticed. The usual size of such snakes is 1.5-1.8 meters, but they can grow up to 2.4 meters.
Judging by Plutarch's report, Cleopatra and her maids died very quickly. However, Andrew Gray notes that for the snake to kill three people, it had too little time: the snake's venom kills a person slowly. In addition, the risk of dying from the poison is small. “Cobras are not only too big, but the chance of dying from their venom is about 10%... This does not mean that they are not dangerous: the venom causes necrosis, and it will certainly lead to death, but very slowly,” says the researcher.
“So using one snake to kill two or three people in quick succession was impossible. Snakes use venom for self-defense and hunting, so they save it and use it when necessary,” concluded Andrew Gray.
Perhaps the legend of death by snake was fueled by the fact that Cleopatra, like many ancient Egyptian kings and queens, was associated with snakes. In addition, Cleopatra was considered an incarnation of the goddess Isis, who could take the form of a snake.
the snake that killed Cleopatra
Alternative descriptionsBlack carbonaceous shale
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Say "poisonous snake" in Greek
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A variety of mountain slate
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Evil person (simple)
Snake epithet for an evil person
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What did Sofya Savvishna Popova call her husband, Lev Ivanovich, in A. P. Chekhov’s story “Life’s Adversity”
M. Greek poisonous snake; tale fabulous serpent, asp. An evil person, a miser, a crafty one, a stingy person. Fossil, isser-black slate, used on tabletops, writing boards, esp. in schools. Star. jasper, variegated flagstone: and the walls are painted with slate and herbs, that is, marble or jasper. Aspid's hole. Aspid malice. Slate board. Aspidnik, slate flagstone or slate, slate slab
Cobra related snake
Say "poisonous snake" in Greek
Black mountain slate
